Machine for bending wire



April 30; 1 .29. SWANGB'EN 1,711,160

MACHINE FOR SENDING WIRE Filed March 5, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet L lat/6722b? 1 611%, dMQ Qw April 30, 1929- E. v. swANeREN 1,711,160

- I MACHINE FOR BENDING WIRE Filed March 5, 1926 8 sheets-Sheet 2 April 0; 1929. E. v. SWANGREN 1,711,160

MACHINE FOR BENDING WIRE Filed March 1926 a Sheets-Sheet 3 April 30, 1929. E. v. SWANGREN 1,711,1

MAuHINE FOR BENDING WIRE Filed March s, .1926 a Sheets-Sheet 4 a M 55, I: MM

April 1929- E. v. SWANGREN 1,711,160

MACHINE FOR BENDING WIRE Filed March 5, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet Jud/Layman. flmfiww g April 0, 1929. E. v.- SWANGREN I 1,711,160

MACHINE FOR BENDING WIRE Filed March 5, 1926 v 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 'JQUEVZZLOTP "WI/22x 6 l w W Q @MQ Ap 30, 1929. E.V. WANGREN 1 1,111,160

MACHINE FOR BENDING-WIRE Filed March 5, 1926 a Sheets-Sheet April 30,1929. E. v. $WANGREN 1,711,160

MACHINE FOR BENDING WIRE Filed March 1926 a Sheets-Sheet a Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

stares PAQTET OFFICE. v

EDVIIN V. SWANGR-E N 013 IVIAYW'OOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM M. STEVENSON, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS. Y

MACHINE FOR BENDING WIRE.

Application filed March 5, 1926. Serial No. 92,565.

the production of many articles of manufacture, rectangular (or other polygonal) frames of wire are required which can be pro duced but slowly and at considerable expense by handwork. My invention relatesto a machine which is designed to form such articles automatically with a minimum of attention, and so produce them rapidly and on a large scale. One object of my invention relates to a construction and mode of operation in accordance with which the wire is fed automatically from a reel, severed into lengths of the proper length to form the particular articles being produced during momentary intervals of rest, and the severed lengths bent into shape while the next length is being fed an d severed, so that the wire-feeding and bending of the articles proceed simultaneously; another object relates to the provision of self-contained bending units adjustable on the frame of the machine so that it may be arranged to bend the wire into frames of various sizes and shapes; and. other objects relate to various novel detalls of construction and arrangement of cooperating parts and members adaptin it to accomplish the work for which it is intended.

the appended claims I-have particularly iointed out the essential elements of my invention, it being understood, however that my inven tion is susceptible of embodiment in various formsof construction differing conably from that particularly shown in the npanying drawings and described in the following specification, and that I do not limit iuyclaiiiis to the particular construction shown and described.

Figure 1v of the accompanying drav-Jings l have illustrated a machine embodying my invention in front elevation;

2 and 3 are vertical cross-sections in planes indicated by the section lines 22 and 33 of Fig. 1.

in elevation opposite sides of one of,

5 a front view one of the units; Fig. 6 front view of the mechanism for disnecting the upper feed roll, and of the mechanism connected therewith;

I is a side view of the same as viewed ti wards the left from the plane indicated by he section line 7-7 f Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is an elevation of parts machine, parts in front of the section line ine'upper left end of being ren'loved; Fig. 9 is a detail showunits; Fig. l is a rear view and.

ing in side elevation the clamping'member for holding the wire on the anvil; Fig. 10 is aface View of the anvil; Fig. 11 is a vertical axial section of the bending head, the cooperating anvil being shown in elevation; and Fig. 12 isa view looking from rear to front, showingthe adjustin key applied to the rack rod, other parts, being omitted.

i ie same ieiei ence characters indicate the same parts on all the figures of the drawing. T 1e statlonary frame work of the machine inay be constructed of any suitable members secured. together in suitable manner. In the present instance the frame includes leg castings land 2, secured together by a top bed plate 3 and a lower frame bar Atits option of the machine it may be first briefly e2\:'

plained that the wire is drawn from a suitable source of supply, as a reel of wire, at what will be termed the left side of the machine (the left as viewed in Fig. 1) through a straightening device, by means of a pair of feed rollers which are arranged to be 1110- mentarily disenga- 'ed while the wire is cut at a point adjacent the left side of the ma chine; the severed length is thentransferred. forwardly by a series of plungers mounted in the bending units and deposited upon a series of anvil members'which are also projected forwardly to receive the wire, the plungers being immediately retracted to permit a'second length of wire to be fed in position for the next transfer movemenhand while this feeding movement proceeds bending members carried by theoutermost bending units .(the first and fourth from the cutting mechanism) operate first to bend the ends of the wire downwardly, whereupon the anvils of such units are retracted and bending members on the second and third units then operate to make downward bends to form the 'rect it to a stack of formed frames.

Describing in order the mechanisms involved in the foregoing operations, the straightening mechanism, which is supported by a bracket at the left end of the machine, includes two series of straightening rollers, the two series, which are alike in construction, operating in planes arranged at right angles to each other and in the presentinstance in horizontal and vertical planes. In the present instance each series consists of seven rollers, four rollers, marked 11, on one side of the Wire, and three rollers, marked 12, on the other side, the rollers of the two sets being arranged in staggered relation. One of the two sets of each series, in the present instance the set containing the thrc i i llers 12, is mounted in a carrier frame 13 which through parallel linlrs 1 L pivoted on the supporting bracket may be swung as a unit away from and towards the set of rollers 11 and brought to dead center position. The four rollers 11 are also carried by a block 15 which is adjustable at its ends with respect to its stationary support, so that they may be adjusted as a unit with respect to the swinging set of rollers 12. All of the rollers are individually adjustable in the blocks which carry them, but it is obvious that when the rollers of each set are once aligned, it will but rarely be necessary to readjust them, whereas the sets may readily be separated "for changing the wire, and the shifting of the block 15. provides "for a nice adjustmentof the set of rollers 11 to accommodate wires of dii'lerent gauge or diilerent degrees of ductility.

I The wire, as it leaves the straightening de- Vices, passes between the members of an automatic clutching device which permits its onward feed, but grips the wire automatically in case the elasticity of the Wire causes the initiation of a retractive movement when the wire is released by the teed rollers preparatory to a cutting operation. This clutch consists ol a roller 16, and a pivoted segn'icnt 17 having an eccentric face which contacts the wire and exerts a wedging action on it at the beginning of any backward pul. In the absence of this device objectionable variation in the length of severed wire lengths would occur upon changing from one reel of wire to anot ier of different stillness and elastic characteristics, but the employment of this clutching device has been found to prevent any noticeable variation.

The lower and larger grooved iced roller 18, keyed to a shaft 18 journalled in the ma chine frame, has secured to one face a continuously driven gear wheel 19 which meshes with a gear 20 similarly secured to the side face or" the upper and smaller feed roller 21. This upper teed roller is mounted in a springpressed rocking lever 22 which is intermediately g'iivoted on the left hand. end bracket oi the machine frame and which is intermittently rocked to lift the roller 21 out or" engagemcnt with the lower teed roller thus in A, .c 1 teirupting the ieeding or the wire, although the gears remain in engagement and rotate the feed rollers idly.

The rocking if d roll lever 22 is operated by a shear lever 23 which extends transve scl ot the machine, that is, from front to real as viewed in l ig, 1, and is equipped with a sheari blade 2 This lever 23 is arranged to first rock the feed roll lever, which is thereupon automatically latched in lower position, and then, while wire is stationary, the blade 2-1 on such lever severs a length o't wire to later be bent to form a frame, a; the shear lever recedes, the latch he i :fced roll lever being discnga ed to permit the feeding movement t be r s med, either immediately or alter a regulated delay which enables a determined len of wire to be led before the next cutting movement of the knite.

As'shown in Figs. 6 and i, the shear lever 23 pivoted upon a bearing pin 23 fixed. o the rear side of the end bracket'li of the ,achine, and extends upwardly and forwardly to a point above the right end of the feed roll lever. At its forward end it carries a cam roller 26 arranged to engage the periphery or a rotary cam 27 keyed to the car shaft 7 before mentioned. Intermediate its length the shear lever is equipped with a bearing roller 28 which, when the lever is depressed, immediately contacts with the right end of the feed roll lever 22 anddepresses it. The strand of wire to be severed is threaded through a block carried by the bracket 5 and makes shearing contact with the blade 2%, which is adj ustably secured in an oblique seat "formed on the underside of the shear lever, so that ilurther depression of the shear lever aft r it has depressed the feed roll lever will sever the length oi? ire which has been led through the block 25 The i'eed roll lever latched in lower posi tion by means oi? a rot-hing spring-pressed catch lever 29 formed with a shoulder on its forward side arranged to latch over an adjustaole block seated in a recess in the top of the feed roll lever and having a portion projecting laterally rear side of such lever. The catch lever 29 is formed with a rock arm 29 equipped with a roller engaging a rotary cam 31 which is secured to the cam 27 and angularly adjustable with respect thereto, in order to vary the time of release of the latch, and thus vary the dura tion of the feeding movement and conse quently the length of the -st*- ps which are led and severed. in order to facilitate ad- 'ustment of the cam to produce a determined length of wire, the cam projection, marked 31 is provided with an ll lei; line arranged to cooperate with a calibrated scale on the L o the face of the clamping plate 31, with rel erence in inches the'length of wire which will be fed and severed under the indicated adjustment. This enables the machine to be set very quickly to produce the particular length desired.

It is to be understood thatthe upper feed roll stands higher w nm the machine is operating on wire of large diameter than when operating on small wire, and that, inasmuch as the lever 22 is strongly stressed by its spring, marked 2%, it is desired that such lever shall have a minimum drop upon being unlatched.

The operating face of the block 30 on the lever 22 is therefore made adjustable in height by forming the bottom of the block and its opposing seat with inclined wedge faces, and providing a screw adjustment for shifting the block to cause it to ride up or down upon the wedge face at the bottom of the seat. In this manner a nice adjustment of the unlatching movement is attained.

As the wire is fed onwardly to the right by the feed rollers beyond the plane of the cutting blade it passes between two guide rails extending longitudinally of the machine, the lower of which, marked 40, is in the present instance rectangular in form and formed with a flat upper face, and is secured to the bracket 6 at the right end of the ma chine frame. This guide rail is supported intermediately its length by the frames of the bending units hereinafter described, which are formed with slots forming seat-s arranged to slidingly receive and support each rail, and the left end of the rod is beveled on its upper face to receive the wire asit is fed upon it. The upper guide rail 41, is fixed at its rear edge to a cylindrical rod 42 which is pivotally mounted at its right end in. a socket in the end bracket 6, and at its left end abuts against the end bracket F. The lower side of this upper guide rail, which is formed with a downwardly open groove to receive the wire, rests upon the upper face the lower rail during the feeding move ment of the wire, and through means hereafter to be described theupper rail is oscillated in a direction to lift its free edge, and the length of wire is transferred forwardly from the top of the lower rail to the anvils of the bending'mechanism next to be described;

The bending mechanism, with which is associated the mechanism for transferring the cut lengths of wire to the bending members, in the present instance consists of four units, A, B, C, and D, slidingly adjustable longitudinally ofthe machine, which are similar in construction, except that 'in the present instance (and preferably) they are constructed as two rights and two lefts, and ex cepting alsothat one or more of the'units, in the present instance the unit C onlythe third unit from the left,is equipped with ment.

a clamping mechanism for holding the cut length of wire against longitudinal move- Describing this unit 0, which is illustrated in detail in Figs. 2 and 8, the frame of the unit includes a base block 43 slidingly adjustable upon the rail 8 above mentioned and cut away to clear and slidingly support the lower guide rail 40 before mentioned; a frame plate 44 secured to such block and orificed to accom modate the upper guide rail 41 and slidingly receive and support its pivot rod 42; and also to slidingly receive a rack bar 46 which extends between the end brackets 5 and 6 of the machine and through which adjustment of the position of the bending units is accomplished.

First describing the transfer mechanism,

the severed lengths of wire successively deposited by the action of the feed rolls on top of the rail 40 and within the groove of the rocking rail 41 are in turn each shifted by the simultaneous action of the plungers 47 in the bending units.

Each plunger 47 isslidingly mounted in a groove formed in the lower face of the frame plate 44, the path of the plunger lying just below the pivot rod 42 before mentioned and the plunger being arranged to cam upward the upper guide rail as it moves forwardly so as to lift the forward edge of such guide rail and permit the wire to clear the forward wall of the groove therein as it is. pushed forwardly.

To effectively eject the, wire, from the groove, during this movement I employ an ejector consistingof an ejector bar 48 within the groove connected by a series of spaced pins 49 to an upper bar 50 disposed above the rocking guide rail 41, a set of compression springs 51 being used to normally hold the connected ejector parts in upper position. hen the rail 41 is cammed upward by the plunger 47, the upper bar 50 of the ejector device contacts a portion of the frame plate above it, producing relative movement between the rail 41 and ejector bar 48, which latter holds the wire down upon the lower guide rail as the upper guide rail rises to clear the wire.

After the rail has been lifted the forward movement of the plungers 47, transfers the wire to the anvils 52, the upper faces of which lie in the same plane as theupper faces of the rails 40, the anvils being mounted on the forward end of slides 53 which are shifted in lines parallel to the movements of the plungers, and are arranged to be projected forwardly into working position slightly in advance of thefinal movement of the plungers and wires.-

The anvil slide 53 of each unit is mounted in a rectangular groove formed in the upper face of the base block 43 of the bender unit, immediately below the groove in which the CII plunger 47 is mounted, so that the plunger in fact slides upon the anvil slide beneath it. The top of the anvil slide is cut away adjacent the lower guide rail 40 to permit the requisite movement of the slide and anvil without interference.

The bending member which bends the wire on the face of tee anvil consists of an oscillating disk-shaped head 52, rotatably mounted in a bearing block l i bolted tothe trams plate 4d, at its forward side. In the present instance the oscillating head is formed with a forwardly extending hub forming a pivot portion 58 engaging the bearing}; in the block l i, and a squared. front end portion 59 equipped with a crank arm 60 by means of which the head is oscillated. To the rear side of the head. 52 is secured a hardened steel forming tool seated in a recess in such head, the tool havin rearwardly extendingg portion 55 overhanging the anvil when it is projected and the wire thereon, such overhanging portion being formed with a plane working face which as too head is oscillated moves from a horizontal position parallel with the wire and upper face or the anvil to a vertical position, (or a p sition slightly past the vertical in case tie wire is somewhat elastic and does not retain a permanent set in the position to which it is forced by the tool), to make the bend.

To secure the forming tool to the head, the tool is formed along one edge with a beveled face, and is clamped into its seat by means of a clamping bolt 56' and a clamping block 5? having an overhanging beveled race arranged to cooperate with the beveled face on the forming tool. I

It will be observed that the overhanging portion 55 oil? the forming tool extends only from about the vertical center line oi? the bending too], and the head of the plunger or transfer bar l? is out of aligmueut with such projecting portion and in the present instanc formed with a right-angled portion ertend ing laterally alon the path of the wire in the opposite direction from the projecting or overhanging active portion ot the tool to attord an extended engaging face. This ex tended h ea d of the plllllgtl' is provided on i upper face with a series of grooves to permit spaced engagement through the grooves of the teeth of a 'VOllJlCLllY-l'GCiPlOtilLblG spring-pressed sliding detent 95 which is can'nned upwardly by the wire as it is driven l orwar .iy by plunger 4;! to the bend is: seat between the top of the anvil and the overhanging portion 55 oi the forming tool, the detent then springing downwardly behind the wire. For purposes of adjustment this detcnt is mounted in a block which by an adjusting screw 96 may be raised or lowered to accoi'nn'iodate it to different sizes of wire.

The transfer mechanism, anvils and bending heads of the machine are timed and caused to operate in synchronism by means of rotary cams 61 which are formed with hollow hubs 6i journalled in bearings at the top of the frame plates 44C. The axial bore the hubs makes splined engagement with the cam shaft 7 before mentioned, so that the cams may all be operated in any position of adjustment longitudinally of the bed elf the machine. illustrated each cam is formed with a side groove 62, and two peripheral cam faces 63 and 642;. The s'de groove controls the movement of the bending head, through a cam rolL or engaging said groove and mounted intermediate the ones of a rocking; lever (55 which at its rear end is pivoted to a bearing; hub on the frame plate and its front end is connected by a turnbuckle link 66 with the crank arm before mentioned.

The peripheral cam tace 63 controls the movements of the anvil slide 53 and anvil through a cam roller mounted on he forwardly extending arm 67 of a bell-crank lever which is pivoted in a bearing the rear (Lb side of the frame plate l l, the other arm 68 oil such lever being pivoted to the rear end of said slide. The cam roller is held up to ti e taco ot' the cam by means of compression spring 53 seated in a recess the frame Jlate below the slide 53 and interposedbeween a fixed end plate and a pin 53 deieiiding from such slide.

The periphenl cam face 6. controls the movement of the ilunger d7 of the transfer mechanism through a roller mounted onthe forwardly extending arm 60 of a hell-crank lever having a depending arm 70 formed v. 1 slotted lower end engaging a laterally pi rtingg' stud secured to the depending member of a rightangled block 71 recessed to receive the end 1 the plunger 47 and cured thereto. 7

As before mentioned, in order to prevent any loiwitudinal slippo ge of the length of wire which otherwise might occur dining the bcndirur operation l'harve provided a clamping; mechanism which is carried by one of the bending; units, in the present instance the unit G being-so equipped. This mechanism consists 01: a 'rockii'xg clamping member Ti havingits rear end arr-an d to clamp the w re down upon the face or the anvil 52 and its front end connected by a link 73 with the lkniward end ot a rocking lever 74 which is intermediately PlVGiTQCl on the frame plate ia's and is stressed by a spring 75 in a direction to produce the clamping action men tioned the rear end of the lever l sing; intermit"- y shifted against the tension of the spring to cllcct release of the wire by means of the action of the inner face of a ring out in the left face of the cam member ('31 upon roller carried by the end o't-said lover. The shape of the am is such as to initiate clamping pressure immediately after the wire strip has been deposited uponthe anvils and to release the wire after the final bends have been made.

Adjustment of the bending units to points on'the bed for making the bends of a particular frame is effected by loosening the clamping nuts securing the units to the bed, and inserting a pinion key-see Fig. 12having its outer end formed with gear teeth, in a socket in the frame plate of the unit so that the gear will engage the rack rod before mentioned, whereupon the turning of the key will react upon the unit to slide it upon the rail 8 of the bed plate of the machine to the position desired, after which it may be again clamped tightly to the rail. g

It will be understood that since the two bends simultaneously formed by the outer late through arcs of substantially less than 180), are oppositely inclined in each of the pairs mentioned. The contour and setting of the cams is such that the four transfer members and anvil slides shift to forward position at nearly the same time, the anvils completing their movement slightly in advance of the transfer members, and the transfer plungers are immediately retracted, while the anvils of units A and D are later retraced simultaneously at the end of the bending operations effected by said units A and l), and theanvil slides of units B and C are retracted at the end of the bending operation of such units, thus completing the cycle of operations occuring in one revolution of the cam shaft. 8

The machine above particularly described is adapted to form rectangular frames such as the one illustrated in Fig. 1 (marked at), but it is obvious that any desired number of bending units may be employed to form frames of any particular number of sides, the outer bends of the wire strip being first bent, then the adjacent bends, and so on until he final bend is made by the innermost pair of units, or single unit if the number of bends required is an odd number, the anvils and are of oscillation of the bending head and tool of the unit being of course changed to form the particular shape of article desired.

The operating connections which I have employed in the particular machine described to carry out the required movements of the parts include a pulley 80 at the rear side of the machine fixed to the motor shaft of a motor 81 and engaged by a belt 82 which also engages a second pulley 88 secured to a shaft 8% rotatably mounted in the bed plate of the machine. A pinion 85, also fixed tothisshaft, is geared to a gear wheel 86 secured to the shaft 18 before mentioned, which shaft extends across the machine and at its front end carries the gear 19 of the lower feed roll,

thus driving the feed rolls when they are connected together. 7

Power is communicated through the shaft 18 to the cam shaft 7 by means of a bevel gear 88 onsaid shaft 18*, an intermeshing bevel gear 89 secured to a short vertical shaft 90 journaled in bearings carried by the end plate 5, a pinion 91 also secured to-said and different trains of connections for bring ing about the same movements may of course be employed if desired.

It is of course obvious is applicable to the bending of square, or flat wire,or strips of metal of any desired cross section, such changes in the shape and size of the parts being made as are necessary in the particular case.

I claim:

1. In a wire working machine, a pair of intermittently disengaged feed rollers arranged to draw a strand of wire longitudinally from a source of supply; a series of straightening rollers engaging said strand bet'ween'the source of supply and said feed rollers, and an automatic clutch adjacent said feed rollers arranged to prevent retraction of said strand when said feed rollers are disengaged, said automatic clutch consisting of a roller and a diametrically opposite pivoted member formed with an arc'uate face eccentric to the pivotal axis of such member.

2. In a wire working machine, a stationary lower guide rail extending longitudinally of the machine and forming a wire support, a

'moveable upper guiderail formed with a wire-receiving channel on its under side arranged to normally contact said lower rail, means for feeding a strand of wire into said channel, means for successively severing lengths of wire fed into said channel, means forintermittently lifting said upper rail, and transfer means arranged to successively shift the severed lengths transversely.

3. In a wire working machine, a stationary lower guide rail extending longitudinally of the machine and forming a wire support, a moveable upper guide rail formed with a wire-receiving channel on its under side arranged to normally contact said lower rail, ejector means in said channel arranged to cooperate with a. stationary part of the machine when said upper guide rail is lifted, means for feeding a strandof wire into said channel, means for successively severinglengths of wire fed into said channel, means for intermittently lifting said upper rail, and transfermeans arranged to suecessively shift the severed lengths transversely. i

that I my invention 4. In a wire working machine, a stationary I lower guide rail extending longitudinally of the machine and forming a Wire support, a moveable upper guide rail termed vith Wire-receiving channel on its under side ar- 'anged. to normally contactsaid lovver ra l, means for feeding a strand. of Wire into said channel, means for successively severing lengths of Wire fed into said channel, intermittently movable transfer members extending transversely of the machine and arranged to automatically lift said upper guide rail and successively shift the severed lengths of Wire transversely.

5. In a Wire Working machine, a stationary lower guide rail extending longitudinally ot the machine and forming a Wire support,

upper guide rail pivoted at one edge and having on its under side adjacent its free edge a Wire-receiving channel, means for Ieedmg a strand of Wire into said channel, means for,

successively severing lengths of Wire fed into said channel, and sliding plunger members extending transversely of the machine, said members being arranged to cam the free edge of said upper guide rail upwardly and transfer the severed length of Wire laterally.

6. In a Wire bending machine, Wire-feedmg means arranged to feed a length of Wire longitudinally, Wire-supporting means arranged to receive and support such length, an anvil forming a second Wire support intermittently moveable transversely of the machine to a Work station at one side of said WllG-SUPPOIZt: ing means, transfer means for shifting said length from said Wire-supporting means to said anvil, and an intermittently-movable. bending member arranged to cooperate With said anvil said Work station to form a bend in the length, said anvil being retracted from said Work station to release the bent length after the formation of the bend.

7. In a Wire-bending machine, wire feeding mechanism arranged to feed a length of Wire longitudinally, Wire-supporting means arranged to receiveand support such length, a pair oil anvils together forming a second wire support, said. anvils being simultaneously movable transversely of the machine to a work station at one side of said Wire-supporting means, transfer means for shifting said lengths of Wire from said Work-supporting means to said anvils, and a pair of movable bending members arranged to simultaneously cooperate with said anvils at said Work station to form bends in such length, said anvils being simultaneously retracted from said work station to release the bent length after the formation of the bends.

8. In a Wire bending machine, wire-feeding mechanism arranged to feed a length of Wire longitudinally, Wire-supporting means arranged to receive and support such length, a plurality of more than tWo anvils arranged in line and together forming a second Wire support, said anvils being simultaneously movable transversely of the machine to a Work station at one side of said Wire-suo ortin means, transfer means for shifting said lengths of Wire froinsaid Work-supporting means to said anvils, and a plurality of movable bending members arranged to respectively cooperate with said anvils at said Work station to term bends in such length, the two end bends being first formed and the anvils concerned then retracted and the adjacent bends being next formed and the anvils retracted until all bends have been formed and all an vils retracted to finally release the bent length.

9. In a Wire bending machine, Wire-feeding means arranged to feed a length of Wire longitudinally, Wire-supportin means arranged to receive and support such length, an anvil forming a second Wire support intermittently-movable transversely of the machine to a Working station at one side of said Wire support-in means, transfer means for shitting said length from said Wire-supporting means to said anvil, intermittently-movable clamping means for holding said length down on said anvil, and an intermittently-movable bending member arranged to cooperate with said anvil at said Work station to form a bend in the length of Wire, said clamping means being released and said anvil retracted from said Work sta ion to release the bent length after the formation of the bond.

10. In a Wire-Working machine, feeding mechanism including a stationarily mountec rte-ed roll, a rocking ieed roll lever, a movable feed roll pivotally mounted on said lever and arranged to be rocked thereby into and out of cooperative engagement- With the said first mentioned roll, a transversely arranged rocking shear lever ogeratively connected With said teed roll lever to disengage said movable roll, said shear lever being equipped With a blade arranged upon further movement of such lever to sever the Wire.

11. In a \vire-Workingmachine, feeding mechanism including a stationarily mounted teed roll, a rocking reed roll lever, a movable teed r ll pivotally mounted on said lever and arranged to be rocked thereby into and out of cooperative engagement with said first mentioned roll, means for latching said feed roll lever in disengaging position, a transversely arranged roclcin shear lever operatively connected with sai eed roll lever and arranged to be automatically rocked to initially rock said feed roll lever to disengage said movable roll, said shear lever being equipped with a blade arranged upon further movement of such lever to sever the wire, and means for releasing said latching means.

12. In a Wire Working machine, feeding mechanism according to claim 11 in which said latch-releasing means is adjustable to time the release of the latch.

13. In a Wire Working machine, feeding mechanism according to claim 11 in which the latched engagement between the latch and the feed roll lever is adjustable to govern the em tent of return movement of the lever.

1a. In a wire-working machine, feeding mechanism including a stationarily mounted feed roll, a rocking feed roll lover, a movable feed roll pivotally mounted on said lever and 1 arranged when rocked to shift into and out of engagement with said first mentioned roll, a latch for automatically latching said feed roll lever when such lever is shifted to disengaging position, a. transversely arranged rocking shear lever operatively connected with said feed roll lever and arranged when rocked to initially rock said feed roll lever todisengage said moval le roll, said shear lever being equipped with a blade arranged upon further movement of such lever to sever the wire releasing said latch, a rotary cam controlling said shear lever, and a second rotary cam controlling said latch releasing means, one of said cams being angularly adjustable.

15. A wire bending machine having a supporting rail and wire-feeding means and wiresupporting means parallel with said supporting rail arranged to receive and support a length of wire and a driven shaft journaled in the machine frame parallel with said supporting rail and a plurality-of longitudinally adjustable bending units mounted on said rail; each of said units including a frame and a transversely-movable anvil, and a transversely movable transfer member, and a vibrating bending member operatively connected with said shaft in all positions of the units.

16. A wire bending machine according to claim 15 in which each bending unit includes a disk splined to said driven shaft and operatively connected to said anvil and transfer member and'bending member.

17. A wire bending machine according to claim 15 in which each bending unit includes a cam member splined to said driven shaft and formed with three cam faces arranged to severally control the movements of the anvil and transfer member and bending member.

18. A wire bending machine according to claim 15 in which at least one of said bending units includes a clamping mechanism arranged to clamp the length of .wire upon the anvil. 19. A wire bending machine according to claim 15 in which each bending unit includes a cam member splined to said driven shaft and formed with three cam faces arranged to severally control the movements of the anvil and transfer member and bending member, and in which at least one of said bending units includes a clamping member arranged to clamp said length of wire in said anvil, said cam member being provided with a fourth cam arranged to control the movement of said clamping member.

20. In a wire bending machine, a bending unit including a frame, an anvil slidingly mounted in said frame and when in operative position arranged to support the wire, automatic means for positioning a length of wire on said anvil, an oscillating bending member rotatably mounted in said frame, and means for operating said anvil and said bending member in timed relation and in synchronism with said automatic wire positioning means to successively support the wire, form a bend, and release the bent wire.

21. In a wire bending machine having longitudinally extending wire supporting means and means for feeding a length of wire onto said supporting means, a bending unit including a frame, an anvil slidingly mounted in said frame and when in operative position arranged to support the wire, a transfer mem ber slidingly mounted in said frame and arranged to shift the Wire laterally onto said anvil, an oscillating bending member rotatably I mounted in said frame, and means for operating said anvil and transfer member and bending member in timed relation.

22. A wire-bending machine having a longitudinally extending supporting rail and wire feeding means and a lower guide rail and an upper movable guide rail, said guide rails being arranged to receive and support a length of wire, and a plurality of bending units adjnstably mounted on said supporting rail; each of said units having a frame cut-away in the path of the lower guide rail, and an anvil on said support, and,'a transversely disposed transfer member intersecting the path of the upper guide'rail, said transfer memher being arranged when operated to displace said upper guide rail, and a vibrating bending member, and operating connections on said unit for operating said anvil and transfer member and bending member.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

EDWIN v. SWANGREN. 

